Perdita beckoned to Thomas to come close.
‘The Duke is not in the least as I expected,’ she whispered. ‘He is quite charming… I had thought he would be hard and cold.’
‘He’s a dear!’ Amy informed her cousin. ‘He even said that I was a beauty. Do you think he meant it?’
Thomas grinned at her. ‘Not for a minute!’ he teased. ‘Such ugly creatures as you are. How could he possibly mean it?’
‘Now you are making game of us,’ Amy announced with dignity. ‘I can’t think why he should imagine that you are a good dancer. You always tread upon my feet!’
‘That’s because they are always in the way.’ Thomas was unrepentent.
As the usual banter between the two of them threatened to become heated, Perdita intervened.
‘The Duke still puzzles me,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘One cannot doubt his habit of command, of course, but I can’t believe some of the stories I have heard about him.’
‘Which stories are those?’
‘It is said…that he hanged some of his own men and flogged some others.’
‘That’s true, Perdita, but you do not know the circumstances. The men were hanged for ra—” Thomas caught his aunt’s eye and hastily amended his words. ‘I mean that they showed no respect for the women in the Spanish towns we took. Others ignored his orders not to loot those towns. They were flogged for disobedience.’
‘It seems harsh. Did he really refer to his army as “the scum of the earth”?’
‘He did, but that same army is always fed and housed with the best that he can find for them. I’ve only seen him lose his temper once. That was when he arrived in a village to find that certain of his officers were comfortably installed in the best billets in the place, leaving their men without shelter or provisions. He turned them into the street. They weren’t flogged, but his tongue was flaying enough.’
‘I suppose that Rushmore was among them?’
‘Good Lord, no!’ Thomas stared at his cousin. ‘What on earth gave you that idea? Do you suppose that his Grace would make such a close friend of the Earl if they were not of the same mind? Rushmore is as much a stickler for the comfort of his men as the Duke himself.’
‘You sound as if you like him,’ Amy ventured.
‘I do. He is a great gun. Some find his wit a little trying, but he makes me laugh.’
A silence greeted these words, and Thomas grinned again. ‘Has he been teasing you, my dears? You must give him as good as you get. That is what appeals to him.’
‘Perdita has already done so,’ Amy replied.
‘Yes, and I don’t care if it appealed to him or not. I find him hateful, Thomas. You are welcome to your own opinion. No doubt he is a marvel upon the battlefield. I could wish that he would go back there.’
‘Difficult, Perdita! There are not more battles to be fought, unless you care to provide him with one of your own?’
‘I hope never to be in his company again.’ Perdita turned to the gentleman by her side. It was the young man who had been cut out by the Earl. Now Perdita gave him a brilliant smile, raising hopes within his breast which were destined to remain unfulfilled.
Thomas was puzzled. It was unlike the normally sunny-natured Perdita to be so dismissive of one of her country’s heroes. He raised an eyebrow in enquiry as he looked at Amy.
A quick glance at her mother told Amy that her mother was deep in conversation with Lady Castlereagh.
‘I’ll tell you about it later,’ she whispered. ‘Do you dine with us tonight?’
‘I believe so. My aunt has asked the three of us. Do you go to the play with Perdita and your parents?’
Amy grimaced. ‘No, alas! I’m not yet out, you know.’
‘Never mind! We don’t go either. We’ll keep you company.’
Amy eyed him with interest. ‘Will you teach me some card games? I’ll need to understand about loo and faro if I’m not to become a flat next year.’
‘I doubt that, you monstrous child. I trust you ain’t planning to become a gambler? And where do you pick up these expressions? You ain’t supposed to know them.’
‘Don’t preach, Tom!’ Amy was unrepentant. ‘Shall you go on later to a den of vice?’
A fit of coughing brought Thomas to the notice of his aunt. ‘You must not stand about, my dears,’ she said kindly. A glance at Perry caused him to give his coachman the office, and they continued their slow progress through the Park.
‘The boys looked well, I thought,’ Elizabeth observed to her husband. ‘Though Thomas has a nasty cough…’
‘I think he had a frog in his throat, Mama.’ Amy was hard put to keep her countenance. She knew well enough that Thomas had almost choked upon her own outrageous question.
His scarlet face had aroused her curiosity. Tonight she would ask him to explain exactly what went on in a den of vice.
But Thomas was unforthcoming on the subject. ‘Blest if you and your sister ain’t the world’s worst for asking questions,’ he complained when his host and hostess had left with Perdita for the play. ‘And you are worse than she is. What ails her, Amy? She wasn’t her usual self tonight.’
‘She’s in disgrace…at least, she was… Did you not know what happened at Almack’s?’
‘Never go near the place,’ Thomas said with feeling. ‘I ain’t ready to be handfasted yet. Those old biddies frighten me to death. Dance more than once with any of the girls and the announcement will be in the Gazette next morning.’
Amy laughed. ‘You are allowed two dances, so I hear. Besides, who’d have you, Tom?’
This cheerful insult left her cousin unmoved. ‘What happened?’ he asked. ‘I don’t care to see Perdita looking so…well…subdued.’
‘She’s disappointed,’ Amy told him. ‘Now she is to go to Bath, instead of to Gibraltar.’
‘As bad as that?’ Thomas whistled. ‘What has she done? It must be murder, at the very least.’
‘Don’t be stupid!’ Amy snapped. She felt Perdita’s disappointment almost as keenly as if it had been her own. ‘If you must know, it is all the fault of that creature you admire so much…’
‘Wellington? That cannot be! She hadn’t met him before today.’
‘Of course it isn’t the Duke of Wellington. It’s that…that Rushmore!’
‘Good Lord! Has he offered for her? Don’t tell me she has refused him?’
Amy was aware that all three of her cousins were staring at her open-mouthed. ‘Are you mad?’ she asked. ‘That puffed-up creature would not dream of offering for Perdita. He made that all too clear.’
‘Has he insulted her?’ The young men caught each other’s eyes. Much as they admired Rushmore, they were ready to defend their cousin’s honour.
‘Not exactly!’ Amy said hastily. ‘It sounded as if…well…as if mutual insults were exchanged. Rushmore doesn’t care for Almack’s, and Perdita overheard his comments.’
‘But she don’t like the place herself,’ Henry objected. ‘She can’t complain if others feel the same.’
‘It wasn’t just that. It was unfortunate that Mother had just sat down when Rushmore made a reference to harpies. It was the outside of enough. He had just been holding forth about the ninnies and schoolroom misses.’
Crispin chuckled. ‘Perdita wouldn’t like that!’
‘She didn’t. She stepped back and stamped upon his foot.’
Amy heard a ripple of amusement. ‘That ain’t so bad, Amy. Most probably he thought it was an accident.’
‘No, he didn’t. He thought that Perdita was attempting to attract his attention. His comments to his friend were…well…unkind. He said that she was hoping to make herself a countess.’
‘And she heard him?’ Crispin closed his eyes. He was the youngest and the gentlest of the brothers. He could well imagine the furore which ensued.
Thomas gave a shout of laughter. He had a lively appreciation of Perdita’s fiery nature. ‘Go on,’ he begged. ‘This is better than the play. What d
id she do?’
‘She…er…told him that he was a popinjay who fancied himself the catch of the Season.’
For some strange reason this reduced her three companions to fits of helpless laughter.
‘It isn’t funny!’ she told him with dignity. ‘Everyone was staring! You know what gossips people are. Then Rushmore led Perdita into the dance. Mama says that it was to stave off comment.’
With eyes streaming, her cousins begged for more.
‘Well…naturally, Perdita didn’t care to dance with him. She tried to walk away, but he pushed her into a stumble. Then, if you please, he pretended that she had turned her ankle and carried her off the floor.’
‘And to think we missed it!’ Thomas mourned. ‘I’d have given a month’s pay to see Perdita’s face.’
‘And the Earl’s, too.’ Henry went off into fresh paroxysms of laughter. ‘Rushmore must have been startled, to say the least, to be tackled by a bantamweight.’
Amy looked at the circle of grinning faces. ‘I thought you all admired the Earl,’ she told them stiffly. ‘He is not the gentleman you think him to be. He came to see Mama, and now Perdita is to be punished for behaving so badly. He is a petty creature. I have no time for him.’
Thomas frowned at her. ‘You are mistaken, coz. There is nothing petty about Rushmore…rather the opposite.’
Henry was quick to agree with his brother. ‘You can’t know that he came to complain about Perdita,’ he pointed out reasonably. ‘That is, unless you were party to the conversation?’
‘I wasn’t.’ Amy would not be convinced. ‘But why else should he call upon us? It was only after his visit that Mama told Perdita that she was to go to Bath, rather than Gibraltar.’
‘It could have been coincidence.’ Crispin, always the peacemaker, decided to intervene. ‘Aunt Elizabeth reaches her own decisions. I doubt if even Rushmore could influence her. Is it not possible that she’d made up her mind to punish Perdita before he came to call? I imagine she was none too pleased to see her daughter in a public quarrel with one of the most powerful men in the kingdom.’
Amy looked at her cousin in disgust. ‘Defend Rushmore if you must! You sound like a bunch of prosy old women. Since when are you on the side of caution and decorum?’ She tossed her head. ‘Perdita was right, in my opinion. I should have done exactly the same.’
‘That don’t make it right, Amy. The pair of you have never learned to fight your weight.’ Thomas ruffled his cousin’s hair. ‘Bless me if you won’t insist on taking on the heavyweights.’
Amy glared at him. ‘You won’t convince me,’ she insisted. ‘It is my fondest hope never to set eyes again upon the Earl of Rushmore, and Perdita feels the same.’
‘Then you are in luck!’ Henry announced. ‘I understand that the Earl is to leave London as soon as Wellington can spare him. I doubt if he’ll go to Bath. He don’t look much in need of doctoring as far as I can see.’
This brought a smile, even from the irate Amy. ‘Then let’s forget him,’ she begged. ‘The cards are in the bureau, Crispin. Will you get them?’
Thomas threw up his eyes to heaven. Clearly, Amy had not forgotten her wish to be initiated into the mysteries of loo and faro. Shuddering at the likely reaction from his aunt, he was moved to suggest a game of spillikins, but Amy threatened to box his ears.
‘Try it.’ He grinned. ‘I’ll put you over my knee.’
Amy thought better of her threat. Perhaps it might be as well to use a little diplomacy. She laid a hand upon his arm and gave him a winning smile.
‘You did promise,’ she cooed.
‘No, I didn’t. How about a game of backgammon?’
‘Backgammon is a game for two. Oh, don’t be such a bore! We shan’t be playing for money, because I haven’t any. We can only play for counters. Of course, we could pretend that they have a certain value.’
‘Well, be it upon your own head! We’ll give you the thrashing of your life.’ Thomas looked at his brothers and between them they settled down to trounce her.
This was not so easily accomplished. Amy had a head for cards and retentive memory, as they soon discovered. The counters mounted up before her and in less than a couple of hours her cousins found that their pockets were to let.
It was only when Ellen came in to claim her charge that Thomas admitted defeat.
‘Remind me to warn Society at large,’ he said darkly. ‘Lord help all of our acquaintances when you are let loose upon the London scene.’
Amy was delighted. ‘You owe me thousands,’ she announced. ‘But I’ll cancel the debt if you’ll call for me tomorrow. I want to see the wild beasts in the Tower.’
‘I doubt if they are ready for you. When they see you coming they’ll hide in the furthest corners of their cages.’
Amy giggled. ‘Promise?’
‘Very well, we promise. Tell Perdita, won’t you? An outing will cheer her up.’
Amy beamed at him. It had been a pleasant evening, and best of all was the news that Rushmore would no longer trouble them. Perdita would be delighted. With any luck she would never see her enemy again.
Amy’s hopes were premature. The Wentworth family had not been settled in their box at the theatre for above a minute or two when they heard the sound of cheering.
Perdita’s heart sank. The new arrival could not be the Prince Regent. The London crowds were more likely to boo and hiss him rather than to cheer. One man alone could be the recipient of such an enthusiastic reception. She was not mistaken. The audience rose as the Duke of Wellington made his appearance.
As always, his dress was plainer than that of any man in his entourage, except for Rushmore. Though that gentleman was faultlessly attired in evening wear which was the pride of his tailor, it was Wellington who was the focus of all eyes. He wore no stars or decorations, and Perdita smiled to herself, realising that he had no need of them. The eagle profile was unmistakable, as was his erect carriage, and the clear air of authority.
Perdita sank down in her chair and grasped at the curtained drapes, intending to draw them slightly, so that she might hide herself from Rushmore’s view. It was her mother who objected.
‘Leave them, my love,’ her mother asked. ‘You won’t be able to see the stage.’
To gain a clear view of the stage was not the object uppermost in Perdita’s mind at that particular moment, but she did as she was bidden. Perhaps if she could move her chair back into the shadow she might escape Rushmore’s notice? After all, he was in the middle of an excited throng, all milling about the Duke.
For a time she thought that she had succeeded, but in the end it was Wellington himself who spied the Wentworth party. Just as the curtain rose upon the play he bowed to her mother and father.
Perdita murmured a most unladylike expletive beneath her breath. She had no objection to the Duke; in fact, she admired him as did all his fellow-countrymen. But if he should take it into his head to pay her mother and father a visit during the interval, Rushmore would be certain to accompany him.
It was too much to bear. Wildly, she cast about for some excuse which would remove her from his presence. The headache, perhaps? No, that would not fool her mother for an instant. Perdita did not suffer from headaches. And neither could she lay claim to another twisted ankle. There was nothing for it but to sit demurely in the box and pray that the Duke had other claims upon his interest during the intervals.
It was a forlorn hope. The Duke had taken a fancy to both Perry and Elizabeth Wentworth, and their beautiful daughter was a pleasure to behold. He was quick to tell her so, when, as Perdita dreaded, he came to greet them. Rushmore merely smiled and bowed, but there was an ironic look upon his face.
Conscious that her mother’s eyes were upon her, Perdita made her curtsy to both gentlemen, with a shy word of thanks to Wellington for his graceful compliments.
How fortunate that upon this particular evening she had chosen to wear her newest and most expensive gown. It was a creation of pure silk chiffon
in a dark rose colour, worn over a white satin slip and trimmed at the hem with a band of appliqued flowers in toning shades of pink and cerise. A narrow trimming of the same fabric edged both neck and sleeves.
‘You are in famous looks tonight, Miss Wentworth,’ a low voice whispered in her ear. ‘How well that toilette becomes you!’
Perdita was tempted to give the Earl a dagger-look. A dozen sharp retorts rose to her lips, but she uttered none of them. She had not worn the gown to impress him, nor was her appearance any concern of his. She managed a distant smile and turned away to listen to Wellington’s comments upon the play.
Rushmore’s lips twitched. Evidently he was not to be forgiven so easily, but the chit could not be allowed to continue to regard him as her enemy. If his ward was to join the Wentworth family for the coming Season, he was determined that the girl would be welcomed and made to feel comfortable. The loss of her father had been tragedy enough for her. It was his hope that a change of scene and the friendship of the Wentworth girls would go some way towards lessening her grief.
He studied Perdita’s face in silence, marvelling at the wonderful bone structure and the fine carriage of her head. This was no simpering miss. She had accepted Wellington’s compliments gracefully, but in a curiously detached way, as if her beauty was of no concern to her. He was intrigued.
‘Are you aware that you are quite the loveliest creature here tonight?’ he whispered.
Perdita turned to look at him. She could do no other, as he had addressed her directly.
‘That is a matter of opinion,’ she told him coolly. ‘I can claim no credit, my lord. I did not design my face.’
Rushmore smiled at her. ‘Well said, Miss Wentworth! I agree that it is a gift from God.’
Perdita was not listening. She had turned away to look at Wellington once more. The Earl saw her intent expression and was inspired. The girl had no time for compliments, but he had another ace to play.
‘How do you find the Duke?’ he asked. ‘Is he all that you imagined?’
He had her attention then. Perdita forgot her private vow not to speak to him more than was absolutely necessary.
The Rebellious Debutante Page 5